ABSTRACT
COVID-19 pandemic is considered a massive unplanned experiment in the world of work. The organizations were able to sustain its functioning by adopting work-from-home (WFH) policy. The experiences of remote working led us to understand that work can be performed with optimum productivity in WFH mode as well. The organizations like Microsoft and others have done extensive surveys to understand hybrid working perceptions among the employees. Hybrid working, its models and how different occupations/organizations differ in the possibility of adopting hybrid work arrangements is discussed.
Surveys such as Work Trend Index 2021 by Microsoft have revealed that the future of organizations is Hybrid work. The other surveys Riverbed/Aternity Hybrid Work Global Survey 2021, KPMG CEO 2021 outlook survey, NASSCOM have also reported the similar findings. The perspectives of Satya Nadella, Sunder Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Dixon, and organizational perspectives by TCS, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan on Hybrid working are discussed.
However, hybrid work arrangements come with certain challenges and complications to be dealt with. The organizations would have to develop norms and policies to maintain optimum productivity and tracking the 42employees’ performances, to attract and retain talent specially at the times such as the Great Resignation 2021, to cater to the changing training needs on leadership and managerial skills to handle hybrid teams, planning for redesigning of work spaces and infrastructure, establishing networking and building effective teams, fostering values and imbibing organizational culture for better employee engagement, providing fair and equitable inclusive work environment, and to tackle issues related to burnout and digital exhaustion and the fear of missing out (FOMO) among employees. Hybrid working can be a game-changer for the future of organizations’ functioning and success, in many, if not in all organizations. The organizations must not expect the hybrid work model to evolve by itself. There is no one size fits all model of hybrid work. The time is not to be overly dogmatic and more time is needed to understand the broad contours of flexibility at workplaces. Hybrid work policies need to be developed by gaining from the hybrid work experiences by the employees and the organizations.
